Plot Twist!
by ficpants
Summary: Jeff seats in a different seat, throwing the whole study group in a loop. Abed notices something developing with this sudden change.


**A/N: **So basically this was also another prompt fulfillment for milady_milord, about how Jeff sits in the seat next to Annie and it throws the whole group off. Takes place after Basic Rocket Science, before Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples, with mentions of The Psychology of Letting Go

**Disclaimer: The core lesson in Obvious 101 is that I don't own Community**

Even Abed didn't see it coming.

The Monday after their eventful space stimulation, the study group met before class as usual with Jeff running late, as usual. Abed sat silently sketching ideas into his notebook. Troy, Shirley, and Pierce were in a heated discussion whether or not Martin Luther King Jr. was a reincarnation of Martin Luther, with Annie occasionally piping in about how Martin Luther was actually anti-Semitic. Shirley said that there was no such thing as reincarnation ("But they have the same name and they both did significant things in history. It's uncanny," Troy argued.) Pierce seemed to accept the fact that Martin Luther was anti-Semitic and Britta argued that as an atheist, she took offense that someone who championed for civil rights could be considered as great as someone who basically started a movement of breaking away from a centralist church that resulted in multiple fractions of crazy Christians. To which Shirley gave her a glare and said "What now?"

So at first no one really noticed that Jeff had come into the room because everyone was just yelling at each other until Jeff slammed his books down on the table, cleared his throat, and sat down.

"Jesus, what's your problem?" Britta asked sarcastically.

"Now girl don't make me come across the table and smack you for taking the Lord's name in vain," Shirley warned.

"I said Jesus, not God!"

"It's the Holy Trinity, which you would know if you weren't such a stubborn heathen!"

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?"

"Okay, is anyone actually concerned about the possibility that we're living in an Inception-type world?" Troy asked in a high-pitched voice. Everyone except Abed looked at Troy, who was pointing across the table at Jeff.

"What?" Jeff asked irritably.

Abed nodded his head slowly. "Plot twist," he said quietly.

Annie gasped. "What are you doing?" she asked, scooting her chair closer to Shirley.

"Come on Annie, I don't have cooties."

"But you normally don't sit there," Shirley pointed out. "It's...weird."

"I feel like this is a dream inside a dream...or maybe this is all a dream?" Troy asked, shaking his head.

"Okay, you guys need to stop being so dramatic. It's a chair. I sat in a different one. Get over it."

Pierce blinked. "Well if Jeff gets to move, I call his old seat."

"I don't want to sit next to Pierce!" Britta whined, jumping up as Pierce started to move his things.

"Yeah, you really don't, he kind of has an old man smell," Troy complained, standing up. "I'm getting tired of this chair too, I'm feeling the need for something different."

"Ooooh, Bri-ta, let's sit together here," Shirley trilled, scooting over to Troy's seat. "No offense Annie, just trying to shake things up."

Annie just looked bewildered as Britta plopped down in Pierce's old seat and wrinkled her nose. "It does smell a little weird."

"Aw man, I got stuck with the last open seat," Troy complained, sitting next to Annie. "No offense, Annie, it's just that I don't really want to sit next to Pierce again but this is hardly the optimal seat position I had in mind."

"But you have the best view," Abed pointed out. "Of me."

Abed and Troy shared an air-hug look. Jeff just sighed exasperatedly, looking up at the ceiling. "Okay, are we done playing musical chairs now?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked around at each other uncertainly. "Nope, this is weird," Troy said, shaking his head as the others agreed. "No offense Annie, but you smell a little too clean for me."

"This is too intense," Pierce said. "I don't do well with change, and it's really not fair to seat a handsome man next to an uglier one. I'll be the better person Jeff, it's just not going to work out. I don't need you to bring me down."

Shirley gave Britta a hug. "I think it would better for our friendship if we sat apart," she said, as Britta nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to miss staring into your eyes Abed," Troy said sadly as he got up.

Through the commotion of everyone else switching back to their original seats, Abed tilted his head as he watched Jeff turn to his left slightly and smile at Annie, who gave a tiny smile back and scooted her chair closer towards Jeff before looking down at her notebook and fiddling with her folders.

"It still feels weird with Jeff not in his regular place," Pierce complained. "How come he can just sit wherever he wants?"

"Can we just get back to studying before we run out of time?" Annie asked sharply. "No one cares who's sitting where."

Just then, the bell rang. Annie stood up. "Well, I hope you're all happy," she huffed, slinging her backpack onto the table and started putting her things away. "We've wasted perfectly good studying time."

"Annie, chill," Britta said as she headed towards the door. "We don't even have anything to study for."

Annie's mouth fell open. "There's always something we could be studying!" she yelped as the rest of the gang silently brushed past her. "You'll all regret this someday!"

"Calm down," Jeff said, reaching down to pick up a pen that Annie had dropped. He handed to her but didn't let go when she took it. "We'll be fine."

"There was a pause as those last words lingered in the air and electricity passed through their hands. What he mean, that they would all be fine or the relationship between the two of them would be fine? It seemed that her youth exposed a vulnerable side to the older man-"

"Hey, who are you calling old?" Jeff exclaimed, letting go of the pen as he turned around to give Abed a nasty look.

"Abed, stop it," Annie said, blushing as she threw her pen into her backpack and hastily zipped it up. "I gotta go, see you guys later!"

"Jeff's eyes softened as he watched her leave. He knew today he was finally starting a new chapter of his life and the new seating arrangement was symbolic of him letting go of the old Jeff who would try to hit on Britta and slept with professors. Rather, he had chosen a new seat in order to try to become a better person, one who showed that he cared about the only person in the world that had genuinely piqued his interest. He was beginning to realize he cared about her, and he wanted to be closer to her. But now, what would the rest-"

"Abed, what have we discussed about narrating our lives?"

"It's creepy and unnecessary."

"Yeah, so stop it. Now."

"Just out of curiosity, have you and Annie talked about your feelings for one another?" Abed asked.

"Uh, negatory," Jeff said, giving Abed a look. "First of all, we don't have feelings for each other. She still thinks I'm gross, and I kissed her in a moment of weakness."

"General consensus around campus is that you thoroughly enjoyed it."

"Second of all," Jeff said loudly over Abed. "I just wanted to sit in a different chair today. Why is it a big deal? It has nothing to do with Annie."

Abed raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

_"I thought I might find you here."___

_Annie turned to see Jeff standing there. "What do you want?" she asked sulkily, primly tucking her legs underneath her.___

_"You're getting grass stains all over your white suit."___

_Annie shrugged. "It's what a washing machine is for, Jeff."___

_He sat down on the grass next to her, looking out over the pitiful football field. "I'm glad you decided to stay at Greendale."___

_There was a pause. "Thank you for taking the blame for telling the Dean about the flag."___

_"Don't worry about it," Jeff said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "He really wasn't seeing it anyway."___

_Annie giggled. "I know, it took about like ten minutes of awkward explaining before he understood."___

_"So, why did you suddenly decide to transfer? It wouldn't have anything to do with what I said a couple of weeks ago about how I couldn't believe I made out with you and Britta right? Because you've been acting kind of weird since then."___

_"The world doesn't revolve around you," Annie teased.___

_Jeff shrugged, trying to be cool. "That hasn't been scientifically proven you know."___

_Annie laughed and Jeff couldn't help but join in. "Pretty sure it has."___

_They both chuckled for a while and Jeff couldn't help but notice how pretty Annie looked as the sun was setting. "I'm not going to lie," Annie said quietly. "What you said kind of stung."___

_Jeff felt genuinely awful for a moment until Annie forged on. "But then I remembered that you are Jeff Winger and you say things that you don't mean all the time. You're always trying to act like you're cooler than us but you're not."___

_"Well, don't hold back now," Jeff muttered.___

_"Look, I just wanted another new start," Annie said, turning towards him. "I thought that everyone was starting to see me not just as a dopey, naive little girl anymore. In high school, I was Annie Adderall. Here, I'm just as invisible but without the whole drug problem."___

_Jeff took a moment to digest everything. "I would miss you."___

_"Yeah right," Annie scoffed. "You were the one talking about discretion after we kissed."___

_"I do care about you, Annie."___

_Annie turned to him and looked him in the eyes. "Do you?"___

_"Yeah," Jeff said, closing the distance between them slowly. Their breaths caught as Annie bit her bottom lip, uncertain of what was going to happen. Jeff realized that as attractive as she looked right now, it would be a really bad idea. He reached up and pretended that there was something in her hair and they both leaned back guiltily. ___

_Jeff cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, for better or for worse, Greendale is where we belong."___

_"I think that's the first time I felt like you actually mean it," Annie said thoughtfully.___

_"I do," Jeff said, standing up and extending his hand. "And for better or for worse, you definitely belong with us."___

_Annie beamed and took his hand as he pulled her up. "Thanks," she said, hugging him. ___

_"And out of fairness to you, I will try to stop flirting with Britta. I guess I've been feeling bad about ditching her but what I did to you was just as bad," Jeff said, absentmindedly running his hand through her hair.___

_Annie pulled back from their hug and looked at him. "Okay, so who's the better kisser?"___

_Jeff laughed as they started to walk toward the parking lot together, arms wrapped around each others waist. "Nice try, but if I tell you, you'll just tell Britta and someone's feelings are going to get hurt."___

_"Well it's not like I can ask you to judge on the sex because we haven't had sex yet," Annie pouted.___

_Jeff's arm dropped from Annie's waist in shock but she kept on walking, a smile tugging at her lips. "Wait, is that like an offer of no-strings attached sex? Wait, Annie!"__  
_

Jeff scoffed. "Please, the bad boy falling for the sweet and innocent girl? That's so cliche, Abed."

Abed pursed his lips together as Jeff walked out of the room. "Well, this should be fun."


End file.
